e5casey

Graduating in 6 months with my ratings, and looking for some help. I only have 250 hours with 60 multi. I do not have my CFI and don't intend on getting it due to the ridiculous wait to get hired on at my university. I have taken the Air force exams and have submitted a pretty good package there, but who knows how long that will take or how it will end up. So I'm wondering where I should be looking or what I should be looking for. I have tried looking online but don't have the money as a college student these websites want to look at their classifieds. I'm willing to relocate anywhere in the U.S. and probably wouldn't mind going over seas. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

rickair7777

The job market is swamped with relatively low-time furloughed airline pilots and unemployed instructors. Overseas might be your only hope, look into central/south America or even Africa if you really have some stones and no particular desire to live for very long.

The CFI's will have an advantage when competing for low-time jobs, since they are trained to a somewhat higher skill and knowledge level than a wet commercial.

If you don't get into the military, better get the instructor ratings. The reality is that they are almost mandatory for entry-level civilians, especially in times like these.

esa17

The reality is that without your CFI to build some time and substantial experience you're dead in the water unless you happen to know someone or are willing to pay for a job.

snippercr

I have my CFI and I STILL can't find a full time job - CFIing or towing banners.

Edit: I realize my post had no useful information.

So I would make a plug to spend the time getting your CFI. I got my commercial couple years ago and I thought I was all that. Commercial multi? I'm good to go! That Shiny jet is just waiting for me. Then I found this place (and reality). But most importantly, I started studying for my CFI and realized how much I DIDN'T know. You will get such a better understanding of aviation by studying for your CFI, even if you dont use it - although you owe it to yourself to teach at least 1 student.

I would argue that a 300 hour commercial pilot with no CFI would be at a disadvantage compared to a 300 hour CFI...

Planespotta

Call or email everyone you know - the higher up the contact, the better. A really useful book is Gregory Brown's "Job Hunting for Pilots." Google "banner tow," "pipeline," "traffic watch," etc. flying jobs in your state. A search in my home state yielded the following sites, among others; I bet that if you tried enough of these, you would get a desirable response:

(As always, be aware that there are fraudulent operations out there)

Worldwide Aerial Advertising Suppliers Banner Towing Skywriting Nightsigns Searchlights
Aerial advertising - Our specialty at US Sky Signs
AERO ADS
Aerial Advertising Service | Flying Ad Banner Towing | Corporate Sky Airplane Logo Banner Ads Tow | Flying Beach Ads | Airplane Flying Logo | Flying Billboard Ads

Rudabega

The market is horrible for everyone right now, at 250 hours you are looking at banner tow or getting your CFI. Traffic watch is rare and pipeline patrol wants more hours. Good luck landing a banner towing job as all the other 250 hour guys want to tow instead of teach.

The mentality of instructing not being a good job has got to go. It is very rewarding to watch others go to all the steps you went through as a student. I am proud of every one of my students and when they do things such as the first solo or pass a checkride it really does make my day. The pay sucks but at some places it isn't to bad. I suggest getting your CFI and CFII. If anything you will learn what not to do.

Students do some of the most unpredicable things and will place you in bad situations time after time after time. It is your responsibility to keep yourself, your student and your aircraft safe from your student. This may sound like a bad thing but your confidence will grow as well as your ability to remain calm under pressure.

I don't know what banner tow pilots do with their time, listen to a ipod maybe?

I don't see the 250 hour market getting better until spring.

Photon

As a CFI, I feel that I have learned really a lot about myself, about how to deal with the infinite numbers of personalities you encounter, about aviation, and has really heightened my skills as a pilot more than any other training I've had by far.

NoseUpAttitude

I always thought that being a CFI is alot like being a First Officer for a really bad Captain. I don't see how the CFI experience wouldn't be valuable. But hey, what do I know?

BoredwLife

Hard market.

With the time and type ratings I had I still couldn't find anything. Guess what. I am still in aviation not flying but making more money than I ever have.

As a commercial pilot with 250 hours you are about as useful as a bottle of water when drowning. I suggest you work on getting your CFI because you will need it in 2 years when flight schools start to need a few CFI's to replace the guys with thousands of hours that leave for the crap regional jobs. Welcome back to the time where you can expect to need 2500 hours to be competitive.

P.S. You can make ok money flight instructing. I know quite a few that make more than 30k a year. Thats more than you might make at a regional for the first few years.

USMCFLYR

Agree completely.
My only problem with the traditional CFI route (in my own opinion) was that I didn't think that I knew enough to instruct.
Now before CFI's across the nation start jumping on me here - let me make it plain that I am giving my views at the time. I did not want to move right to CFI'ing. Unfortunately it became apparent that it was much harder to build any sort of meaningful time otherwise. I did end up flying jumpers for a little while.
My personal opinion did not change after I joined the military. I was not a great believer in the FAIP/SERGRAD program of the AF/USN. I had the same opinion - that instructors needed some 'fleet' experience before instructing fledgling aviators.
Since them I have seen those programs produce some great pilots and instructors - though again in my own opinion it wouldn't have been for me.
Some of the greatest moments of my career have been as an instructor, but I was very grateful for the growing experience of the 'fleet' before attempting to pass on anything to the 'young'uns'.

USMCFLYR